Mardy Fish overcomes Gilles Simon in the third round – US Open 2012
American number two, Mardy Fish, qualified for the last 16 for the third year in a row by toppling the 16th seed, Gilles Simon of France, in four sets 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the round of 32 at the US Open on Saturday.
Fish looked a bit rusty, as he made a total of 75 horrible unforced errors in the match but he had an advantage because his opponent was extremely tired after playing two previous marathon matches.
The American struck in the opening game and consolidated on it to gain a 2-0 lead. Simon opened his account by holding his serve in the third and reducing the deficit to 1-2 but he lost four games on the trot afterwards to go down
1-6.
Both players pressurised each other on their respective serves early on in the second set, as they exchanged a couple of breaks in the first six games to take the score to 3-3. The following four were held to equalise the proceedings
at 5-5. Simon hit a blow to the second best American player in the 11th and closed it 7-5.
There was a display of sheer brilliant serving by both players in the third set, as they did not allow each other to strike even once till the end, squaring off the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. Simon built an early
lead but Fish came back strongly to capture it 7-6(5).
The two stars of their respective countries went neck to neck in the opening six games to even out the score at 3-3. It was an all Fish show later on, as he clinched three successively to triumph 6-3.
Speaking on Simon’s physical condition, the American said, "I know that he's not feeling 100 percent, and sometimes it's even tougher to play guys like that, to keep your concentration. Apart from the serve, he appeared to be playing
really well. Made for a long night."
Simon dismissed that he was injured by stating, "I was just tired from my two matches before. They were long. And it's hard to recover because I had to run a lot. It starts to be painful in the legs.”
Fish will take on the five-time champion, Roger Federer, for a place in the last eight.
When the American was asked when he would need to do to beat Federer, he replied, "I have no idea right now, to be honest. A lot more than I did today. But we'll try to rest as best we can and see what we can do."
Fish has lost seven of the eight previous meeting against the world number one, Federer.
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